


Over Your Shoulder

by ZombieBabs



Series: The Way You Said I Love You [2]
Category: The Black Tapes Podcast
Genre: F/M, Fluff, I Love You, Kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-30
Updated: 2016-03-30
Packaged: 2018-05-30 03:50:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6407602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZombieBabs/pseuds/ZombieBabs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The words come so freely to her, so easily. She’s able to let them go with a startling lack of gravity. As if they aren’t heavy enough, forceful enough, to knock him out of his orbit.</p><p>They are.</p><p>They do.</p><p>Every single time.</p><p>*Edited 7.27.17</p>
            </blockquote>





	Over Your Shoulder

**Author's Note:**

> Second prompt from the "The Way You Said 'I Love You'" post on tumblr.

She tosses it over her shoulder as she ducks out of the taxi.

“I love you.”

Three simple words. And then she’s gone, lifting her jacket over her head, holding it high above her as a makeshift umbrella. She laughs as she tries to race the rain up the steps to the studio of Pacific Northwest Stories.

She looks at him one last time before waving and disappearing into the building.

The words come so freely to her, so easily. She’s able to let them go with a startling lack of gravity. As if they aren’t heavy enough, forceful enough, to knock him out of his orbit.

They are.

They do.

Every single time.

They hit him like a hard punch to the gut.

They make his world spin.

By all rights, it should be impossible for Alex to love him. Implausible, at best.

And yet.

She does.

“Well, buddy,” asks the man behind the wheel, “where to?” 

He pops the chewing gum in his mouth and checks his phone, waiting for Strand to answer.

Strand hasn’t told Alex he loves her. That he’s loved her from the beginning. Since he listened to each of the eleven messages Melissa fielded for him. He hasn’t yet told her how much it hurt to discover his growing feelings for her. How it felt like he was desecrating the memory of Coralee, somehow. Even after having taken his wedding ring off long ago. 

Where the words come to Alex as simple as an afterthought, Strand finds he cannot get them past the stubborn barrier of his teeth. They sit stuck in his mouth until they’re all he can taste.

Alex hasn’t questioned him about it, hasn’t once complained at his silence. It’s...odd. For as long as he’s know Alex, she’s never been hesitant to drag things out of him--things that he would rather remain in the dark, where he can pretend they don’t rule over him. Coralee, Charlie, Howard Strand--Alex has torn open every one of his old wounds. So, why not demand answers from him now?

She deserves to know.

The taxi driver looks into rear-view mirror. He locks expectant eyes with Strand.

Strand digs his wallet out of his pocket. He hands the driver a bill large enough to cover the fare with enough left over for a generous tip. 

“Keep the change,” he says. He opens the car door and steps out into the rain.

It’s a short distance from the curb to the front entrance of the Pacific Northwest Stories studio, but by the time Strand reaches for the door, he’s already soaked. He can hardly see beyond the droplets of rain clinging to his glasses. 

He stops only long enough to clear them, using the hem of his suit jacket, but it’s enough time for Strand to give into the pounding of his heart. He turns, ready to leave, ready to run, back to his office in Chicago, back to his solitary life, relatively safe in his knowledge he has finally pushed her away for good.

“Dr. Strand!”

Strand freezes. The voice belongs to a young man, fresh-faced and bright. One of Alex’s interns.

The young man grins at Strand. “Are you looking for Alex? Better hurry, she’s scheduled to record a session with Nic soon.”

Strand thanks the intern. He squares his shoulders and forces himself to sign in with the receptionist.

After handing him his visitor’s badge, the receptionist buzzes him in.

Once he reaches her office, Alex jumps at his sudden entrance.

“Dr. Strand?”

Strand opens his mouth, but nothing comes out.

“You’re soaking wet.” She stands and rounds her desk. She stops in front of him and pushes sodden locks of hair back from his forehead. “Do you want a towel?”

He shakes his head. 

Alex frowns. “Did you need something?”

“I--”

She looks at him, so gentle, so understanding.

Strand swallows. “Yes.”

“I’m supposed to record with Nic in a few minutes.” She nods toward the sofa pushed against the far wall of her office. “Would you like to stick around?”

“No.” He winces at the finality of the statement, but he can’t trust himself to wait.

“I can ask Nic to push the recording back a bit, if that--”

“I love you,” he says, interrupting her. “I love you, too.”

Her eyes are bright. A smile curls the corners of her mouth. “I know.” 

“You--you know?”

“Of course I do.” She tugs at his shirt, pulling him down into a kiss. 

Her lips slide over his in a way that never fails to make him shiver. She grins into the kiss and he can’t help but respond. He cups the sides of her face, deepening the kiss, trying to tell her again--without words this time--how much he loves her.

She knows.

Of course she does.

**Author's Note:**

> *Edited 7.27.17


End file.
